Police in Surrey, England, are drawing attention to the frequency and seriousness of catcalling faced by women by posing as joggers.
As part of an undercover operation, two female officers wore running gear and jogged during the evening rush hour in areas identified as harassment hotspots.
The “Jog On” campaign comes in response to a surge of reports of women being followed, approached, catcalled, or harassed while out running, according to LBC.
The operation has so far resulted in 18 arrests for offenses such as harassment, s**ual attacks, and theft.
Police in Surrey, England, deployed female officers in athletic gear during rush hour to expose how often women are harassed
Image credits: MART PRODUCTION / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The two officers were targeted within minutes. One of the harassers was a man in a large truck who honked and made gestures out the window as the undercover officers jogged past.
“One of our officers was honked at within ten minutes — then another vehicle slowed down, beeping and making gestures just 30 seconds later – that’s how frequent it is,” explained Inspector John Vale.
Image credits: Fellipe Ditadi / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
“Someone slowing down, staring, shouting – even if it’s not always criminal – it can have a huge impact on people’s everyday lives and stops women from doing something as simple as going for a run.
“We have to ask: is that person going to escalate? Are they a s**ual offender? We want to manage that risk early.”
The undercover officers jogged through areas identified as harassment hotspots and were supported by nearby specialist units
Image credits: LBC
PC Abby Hayward, one of the police officers who volunteered to go undercover, said that many women are subjected to street-based harassment every day.
“We get catcalled. We get honked at. People slow down just to stare – or lean out the window to shout something. It’s so common, but it’s harassment and it needs to be recognized as that.”
Image credits: LBC
“This behaviour is either a precursor to something more serious – or it’s ignorance, and it’s fixable. That’s where our interventions come in: to stop potential repeat offenders or help people understand that what they’re doing isn’t OK,” Hayward added.
“The rise in violence against women and girls is real – we’re talking about women being spat at, stalked, harassed while they’re just out on a run – it’s just horrendous.”
The operation, which began in July, has so far resulted in 18 arrests
Image credits: LBC
According to LBC, two men driving a van apologized after being stopped by officers for harassing a female runner.
“They said sorry to us, and it meant a lot as it shows this operation is working – we’re out here making change happen,” stressed Hayward.
“I’m proud to be part of this. It’s long overdue – and it’s making a difference.”
Surrey Police is also urging the public to report unsafe areas using the StreetSafe tool, which allows users to flag locations anonymously.
Image credits: LBC
Inspector Vale explained that the campaign acts as a deterrent and a method of early intervention against catcalling.
“You don’t know if the woman you’re harassing is a police officer – and that’s the point and we want people to think twice before acting like this.”
He continued: “We know that this kind of harassment is significantly under-reported thanks to a study carried out by Surrey County Council this year, which revealed that of 450 female residents surveyed, 49 per cent never reported.
“To date, we have made a number of interventions following reports of harassment of our plain clothes runners. In these cases, it was deemed appropriate to provide education around anti-social behavior.
“For repeat offenders or where the behavior is more serious, we will robustly pursue all criminal justice outcomes.”
“It’s so common, but it’s harassment and it needs to be recognized as that,” stressed police officer Abby Hayward
Image credits: LBC
Still, catcalling is a common issue throughout the entire South East England county. “This type of harassment isn’t just being experienced by communities in Reigate and Banstead, but communities across the whole of Surrey, and it’s unacceptable.
“We have female officers and staff members who have been the subject to such behavior when off duty.
“The message I would like to impart to perpetrators is this; your actions will not be tolerated.”
The arrests were made for offences including harassment, s**ual attacks, and theft
Image credits: LBC
Image credits: Mika Baumeister / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Inspector Vale urged people to “reflect” and ask themselves: “Is this how you would treat or want your partner, mother, sister to be treated?
“The next time you see a female jogger, just think, they could be a police officer with colleagues nearby ready to stop you. Your behaviour is not welcome in Surrey.”
The Jog On initiative is part of the police’s strategy to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG) in public spaces. These tactics, which involve undercover female officers working alongside uniformed colleagues, have previously been used to identify predatory behavior in bars, clubs, and town centers.
A study by the University of Manchester found that over two-thirds of women surveyed in north-west England had experienced harassment while jogging, including threats, verbal harassment, being followed, and having objects thrown at them, with only 5% reporting these attacks to the police.
Hundreds of netizens commented on the Surrey Police’s “Jog On” initiative
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